25. Preserving Endangered Herbs- Christopher Smith on Herbal Education

In this episode I interview Christopher Smith, who is an extraordinary person doing some really important work in the herbal community in Australia. Christopher is a herbalist, horticulturalist and herbal educator He draws on over 40 years of horticultural experience to grow a line of rare and endagered herbs at the herb farm he runs called Tinderry Mountain Herbs, at Tinderry Mountain near Canberra.  These herbs are supplied to herbalists in Australia, and Christopher has the noble vision of assisting Australia to become self-sufficient with it's herb supply-  in particular Arnica, Goldenseal and Solomons Seal.. Christopher strongly believes that herbal medicine is the medicine of the people and needs to be alive in people’s homes and kitchens so he is passionate about sharing the world of plants and medicinal herbs with people.  He runs regular workshops and classes through the Heirophant in Canberra teaching people how to make an array of herbal preparations.  He also runs online workshops and classes. All of my communications leading up to and after this interview was really beautiful.  Christopher has such a kind heart and pure intentions-  he wants to see as many people growing rare and endangered herbal medicine as possible, and is developing a mentorship program for advanced methods of growing herbs. This interview was really enjoyable for the both of us and we are already planning the next one.  I appreciate the sense of comradery I feel with Christopher, in fact after this iinterview I invited him to become admin on two facebook groups I am admin for.  He is a rare find and I hope that you all enjoy this interview. You can visit Christopher's website here: https://tinderrymountainherbs.com.au/ You can also follow him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/tinderrymountainherbs To find out more about The Elder Tree visit the website here and donate to the crowdfunding campaign here. You can also follow The Elder Tree on Facebook and Instagram and sign up to the newsletter. Find out more about this podcast and the presenters here. Get in touch with The Elder Tree at:  [email protected] The intro and outro song is "Sing for the Earth" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music here and here.